Fiddauthor
Fiddauthor (also commonly known as FordFord or Ford-squared in the community) is the shipping of Stanford Pines and Fiddleford McGucket. Origins Fiddauthor started as a small fanbase due to the "Mystery Trio" theories, and it slowly increased after it was revealed that Fiddleford worked with “The Author” in “Society of the Blind Eye”. The ship’s appeal further expanded as more information about Stanford and Fiddleford’s close relationship was shown, most notably after “A Tale of Two Stans” aired. Later on, “The Last Mabelcorn” released (in which Ford refers to Fiddleford as his “partner,” and the phrase “I’m sorry, Fiddleford” appears repeatedly in Stanford’s mind as shown on the device), resulting in Fiddauthor becoming much more mainstream in the Gravity Falls fandom. Other notable events that caused a significant increase in Fiddauthor fans included the 2016 BigFest convention in Russia, where Fiddleford’s laptop’s password was implied to be “STANFORD”, and the release of Journal 3. Appeal Fiddauthor consists of both angst and fluff elements, which in itself attracted various fans. As they are canonically known to be “college buddies,” fan works of fluff generally revolve around this theme. During the portal period, Stanford grows increasingly obsessed with Bill Cipher, thus a common focus of angst works includes Ciphord (Bill possessing Ford) abusing Fiddleford and/or emotional conflicts, leading up to the canon falling out of Ford and Fiddleford. During “Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls”, fans had rather mixed opinions/predictions about how they would reunite and patch their broken friendship during Weirdmageddon. (Prior to the episode's release, imagining reunion scenarios was a popular topic.) Ultimately, though, it was made clear that Fiddleford and Stanford have a strong, undoable bond that survived the test of time, stewing strife, Bill’s chaos, and amnesia. As a result, there is also a “second chances,” more mature appeal to Fiddauthor, revolving their relationship as an older couple. Canon Evidence Although Fiddauthor is not explicitly stated to be canon, there are many interactions and situations between Ford and Fiddleford that are frequently interpreted as romantic. * Stanford tends to refer to Fiddleford as his "partner" rather than as just a friend, suggesting that he views Fiddleford as someone closer to him than platonic friends. * There is only one bed in the bunker, and they were both planning on staying there. Ford and Fiddleford are stated to be great friends, so one of them wouldn't make the other sleep on the floor. * Fiddleford left his family in Palo Alto to work on the portal project with Ford, which shows a lot of caring and devotion. Many people see this as romantic. * Ford is the only person in the show to call Fiddleford by his first name, rather than his last name or by “Old Man McGucket.” This shows that Ford cares and respects Fiddleford on a higher level than anyone else on the show (with the exception of Tate, Fiddleford’s son). ** Furthermore, in Journal 3, Ford believes Fiddleford is greater in mind than him and “one of the kindest hearts he’s ever seen,” showing of his unyielding admiration for Fiddleford ** More evidence of Ford’s respect is in “Weirdmageddon: Take Back the Falls,” in which he addresses to Fiddleford with a knowing look as he says, “Much like the spectacles need to be someone scholarly.” * Normally, it's nearly impossible to see when Bill is possessing someone, but in certain flashbacks in “The Last Mabelcorn”, Fiddleford is shown to be able to recognize when Ford is possessed and when he isn't. This shows just how deep their bond is, as it took Dipper explicitly telling Mabel he was possessed for her to be able to recognize it, while it is established that Fiddleford did not even know about Bill. * Fiddleford and Stanford are canonically shown to indulge in a panoply of hobbies together, with lighter pastimes such as stargazing to more in-depth discussions of family and their own lifestyles. Although this does not constitute to them having romantic feelings per se, being able to openly share thoughts of varying substance is generally romantically appealing and makes for a good basis in a relationship. * During the Weirdmageddon reunion, Fiddleford and Stanford were quick to forgive each other and hug despite them both seething with fury the last time they saw each other over 30 years ago (as evident from Journal 3 and “A Tale of Two Stans”). The fact that they are able to so easily repair their relationship shows how deep of a bond and connection they share. This bond can be interpreted as romantic. * In “The Last Mabelcorn”, when the viewer glimpses the stream of thoughts in Ford’s head, one of them is “I’m sorry, Fiddleford”. His remorse runs so deep that it's still there even when Ford’s asleep thirty years after the fact. This shows that their bond prior to the incident was very strong, and some interpret this bond as more than platonic because of its strength. * As mentioned in a previous section, Fiddleford’s laptop password is strongly implied to be “STANFORD”, which is often interpreted as a romantic gesture. * In Journal 3, Ford is shown to have a great admiration for Fiddleford. Phrases like “the man I once held so dear” are frequently interpreted as romantic. * Also evident in Journal 3 - Fiddleford asks Stanford if he will “meet someone and settle down,” and Ford’s thoughts immediately shift to Fiddleford. The fact that Stanford associates Fiddleford with a traditionally romantic gesture implies that he has feelings for Fiddleford. Fandom The Fiddauthor community is most prevalent on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own, although there are small, dedicated fanbases on other sites (such as Wattpad). Trivia *Fiddleford built computers in Palo Alto, which was a town founded by the Stanford family to provide a town for Stanford University students. **More interestingly, Ford Pines wanted to attend West Coast Tech, and the real-life Stanford University is located in the U.S.'s west coast. **Stanford University's logo is designed after a pine tree located in Palo Alto. *On the Zodiac wheel, Fiddleford represents Stanford's glasses. *During a charity stream hosted by Alex Hirsch, a user asked if Fiddleford loved Stanford. **Hirsh's reply: "Yeah, of course," , but later followed up with 'Stanford and Fiddleford love each other because they "are very good friends."' *There is only one bed in the bunker. Category:Stanford Pines Category:Fiddleford McGucket